USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Within just a few generations, the continents of the Americas were virtually emptied of their native inhabitants – some academics estimate that approximately 20 million people may have died in the years following the European invasion – up to 95% of the population of the Americas.

Detailed explanation-2: -Between 1492 and 1650 the Native American population may have declined by as much as 90% as the result of virgin-soil epidemics (outbreaks among populations that have not previously encountered the disease), compound epidemics, crop failures and food shortages.

Detailed explanation-3: -Death was due to systemic shock (body-wide infection) and toximemia (toxins in the blood). Smallpox is a very contagious disease, with secondary attacks affecting up to 80% of household contacts. Often, people who survived the disease had long-term problems, such as blindness and severe scarring.

Detailed explanation-4: -In his book, Henderson suggests that in the last hundred years of its existence smallpox killed “at least half a billion people.”16 500 million deaths over a century means 5 million annual deaths on average.